Utilizing the 'Tam step' to camoufladge himself, Sidius swiftly moved deeper into the dungeon, taking advantage of the commotion caused by the clashing cries of fiery monkeys and the casting of spells.
In a matter of seconds, he reached what he came for.
Atop a tall cliff devoid of mist sat a massive, fiery ape with its eyes closed. A red crystal was attached to its forehead, emitting a radiant glow of strings of light that were connected to the fiery monkeys, hidden from plain view.
Sidius' eyes widened in disbelief. The boss was the one instructing the dumb monkeys.
'That's impossible! That's a D-ranked demonic beast commander!'
Sidius didn't want to believe it, so he had to double check, only to face the harsh reality.
'Could it be that a chieftain fiery monkey evolved into a fiery ape? Or is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?' he muttered, weighing all possibilities.
The fiery ape remained occupied with controlling the monkeys, seemingly oblivious to Sidius' presence.
As he examined the area further, Sidius's attention was drawn to a peculiar tree behind the ape. It was no ordinary tree, standing merely a meter tall with three trunks that sprouted at different angles. These thin trunks are intricately interlocked with one another, forming a robust central trunk with only a few sparse, small leaves.
'Is that… I recognized that tree!' Sidius muttered in shock.
The tree positioned behind the fiery ape was known as the One Heart Tree. Its name derives from the fact that it bears fruit only once every ten years and only grows in an environment rich in yang energy.
At first glance, the tree appeared rather ordinary without its fruit. However, when the time came for it to bear fruit, its appearance would undergo a wondrous transformation, taking on a heavenly aura. The fruit it produced was known as the Heart Fruit, renowned for its divine effects.
Consuming these fruits grants a permanent increase of one rank to a small realm along with a slight but lasting boost to one's intelligence, all without any adverse side effects.
Nonetheless, there were restrictions on these heavenly effects; a person could only eat one fruit throughout their lifetime, and consuming more would yield no additional benefits.
'So that's why the boss is one rank higher than it's supposed to be,' Sidius mused, having carefully considered all the variables. 'Clearing this dungeon might be more rewarding than I initially thought,' he added, satisfaction was evident in his deduction.
Sidius quickly rushed back to his party to inform them that the boss resided in the deeper part of the dungeon. Seeing the two covered in sweat and blood with their faces marked in exhaustion, he extended a helping hand in their dire situation.
Adapting to the relentless attacks from all directions, Sidius maneuvered with flexible movements. He dashed towards one fiery monkey and swiftly dispatched it before returning to his previous position to strike again.
'The situation is dangerous. I need to defeat the boss to clear this dungeon,' he finally resolved.
"Mirzam! Lumia!" he called out to them. "Use your haste scroll and go deeper into the dungeon! Wake up the D-ranked demonic beast commander and wait for me!" he commanded, as he wave his blood-stained dagger.
Waking up the boss would allow it to lose its control over the fiery monkeys, making it easier for Sidius to deal with the cumbersome foes.
Continuing his assault on the monkeys, Sidius overheard his subordinate's shocked voice.
"There's a demonic beast commander in this dungeon?!" Pliero looked at him nervously. As an E-ranked chosen, defeating a D-ranked Demonic beast commander was an impossible challenge.
"Just go! We don't have time!" Sidius shouted, fighting the horde of monkeys to cover their retreat.
Pliero with his bow, and Lumia with his staff, was hesitant at first but they still followed Sidius' orders flawlessly, running as fast as they could. They have no choice.
While they retreated, Sidius provoked the monkeys to focus their attention on him.
Each monkey he killed increased his control and movements bit by bit, and with his partially awakened physique absorbing their mana efficiently, he was getting closer to becoming an E-rank chosen.
'I am indeed getting stronger but I am losing stamina,' Sidius mumbled between his heavy breaths, 'No, I can't die.' he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Moments later, the once-controlled monkeys were now free. Their red eyes turned gray, and their aggressive faces morphed into worry.
They stared at Sidius with terrorwhen they saw their own kind lying lifelessly on the ground. The monkeys quickly fled in horror as they sensed a dangerous aura coming from Sidius.
"Khu khu ah ah!"
"Khu khu ah ah!"
Sidius smiled, tugging at his lips as he dashed after the fleeing fiery monkeys.
"The situation got reverse now... This is a massacre."
Group by group, he chased the monkeys using his 'Tam Step', expending his mana and shedding blood, but it was not enough to raise his rank.
As he pursued the last remaining fiery monkey, he aimed his dagger with all the strength he could muster, killing it as it fled.
"With this, all the troublesome ones are gone." Sidius said as he stared at his masterpiece.
Having eliminated them all, he found himself with only a small amount of mana left. Sidius retrieved the advanced healing potion he had purchased earlier and drank it, healing half of his wounds. He also consumed a stamina potion to prolong his endurance.
"I should have bought two of them," he regretted, tossing away the empty potion bottle.
Catching his breath, Sidius retrieved his dagger from the body of the monkey he recently slain and proceeded deeper into the dungeon, intending to regroup with Pliero.
"It's time for a real battle," he declared, a fierce glint of determination flicker in his eyes.
…
Sidius travel with controlled and after a moment, he spotted his comrades, bravely standing their ground against the colossal fiery ape.
With a swift movement, he grabbed a massive rock and hurled it directly at the creature, hitting the red crystal embedded in its forehead with impressive accuracy.
"Hey, big guy! I killed all of your little monkeys!" Sidius taunted, his voice echoing as he cupped his hands around his mouth. A wide grin spread across his face as he provoked the fiery ape.
The beast seemed to understand his words, fueling its rage before charging at him relentlessly.